Mike Nadel: Rex is ex, but will it matter?

Twenty-five interceptions. Six fumbles. That's some bad stuff from Rex, the Bears' newest ex, huh? Well, actually, those are Brian Griese's numbers in his last 19 NFL starts.

Mike Nadel

Twenty-five interceptions. Six fumbles. That's some bad stuff from Rex, the Bears' newest ex, huh? Well, actually, those are Brian Griese's numbers in his last 19 NFL starts.

It will be interesting to see if the solution fares any better than the problem -- not that he could be any worse.

Finally feeling the frustrations most Bears fans have felt for some time now, Lovie Smith no longer could stand watching Rex Grossman lead the offense. Statistically, Rex has been the NFL's worst quarterback since Week 6 of last year, and he's been especially brutal during this season's 1-2 start.

"Offensively, we're not getting a whole lot done," the coach said Wednesday. "I've looked at a pattern of our play and the play at the quarterback position. Hopefully, this can get things going in the right direction."

It will -- as long as Griese's own problematic pattern doesn't resurface when he starts Sunday in Detroit.

During 16 starts with a playoff-caliber Tampa team in 2004 and '05, Griese was picked off 19 times. He had five games with multiple interceptions.

In 2001 and '02, his final two seasons with a Denver team regarded as a championship contender, Griese threw 34 picks vs. 38 touchdowns. Mike Shanahan finally tired of Griese's penchant for the big turnover and became the first of three NFL coaches to cut him in a four-year span.

Yeah, but Griese is a big winner, right? Sure, if you consider 39-33 being a big winner.

OK, but his playoff experience ...

Sorry. The man never has taken a postseason snap.

Hey, I'm just trying to save Bear Country from heartbreak later by tempering expectations now. Though fans routinely chanted for Griese to save them, he is no savior. Nor is the 32-year-old a long-term solution.

He is a Band-Aid. Of course, the wounded Bears desperately needed a Band-Aid.

Rex had to go. That's something pretty much everybody not named Grossman realized. Still, this move guarantees nothing for the Bears, who suddenly have a boatload of woes.

Can Griese stem the tide of turnovers while still aggressively guiding an offense that has produced but two TDs?

"Eliminating turnovers ... I don't think is a way you play as much as it is the way you prepare," he said. "For me, (playing) quarterback is about two things: making good decisions in split-second instances and making plays."

Despite his troubled turnover history, Griese is more likely to make better decisions than the oft-rattled Grossman did. A 63 percent career passer, Brian also figures to execute slants and screens far better than Rex did.

Even if Griese plays poorly and the Bears lose Sunday, Smith suggested he'll give his new/old QB time before returning to Grossman or trying third-stringer Kyle Orton. That's the correct strategy.

Too many people believe football teams should treat QBs the way baseball teams treat pitchers: When the starter struggles, bring in the reliever. Ridiculous. Each football game has a rhythm and the quarterback -- The Leader -- is in charge of that rhythm. A pitcher must have rapport with his catcher; a quarterback needs time to develop rapport with every offensive player. It's a process, sometimes a long one.

Griese insists he can lead the offense into the end zone and the Bears back to the Super Bowl. His ability to do the former will have a huge bearing on the latter because the banged-up defense no longer can carry this team.

"We will score points," Griese said. "Over the last couple of years, the offense has kind of been a second-class citizen. Playing offense is an attitude. I believe attitude is a great predictor of success. Hopefully, I can bring a little energy and enthusiasm to our huddle, and some consistency.

If it's not, Orton-loving fans stand ready to chant the next savior's name.

Future mess

Given that Grossman is mentally fried -- and that he almost certainly will be gone at season's end -- I would have demoted him to third-string behind Orton.

That Smith kept Kyle at No. 3 tells us everything we need to know about the organization's lack of confidence in Orton, who as a rookie led the 2005 Bears to the playoffs.

What all this means is that the demotion of Grossman officially signals the launch of yet another search for the Quarterback of the Future.

Oh, joy.

Prediction

Griese had better master the offense quickly. The Bears will need plenty of the points he promises to produce to keep up with the Lions, who have the league's No. 1 passing offense.

Then again, after giving up 56 points to Philadelphia, the Lions rank 31st in pass defense. Coincidentally, that's where the Cowboys ranked going into last week -- before they shut down Grossman's Bears.

Even during good times, the Bears often had problems with the Lions. And making Rex the ex probably won't be enough to start the good times this season.